[–] TheDude2 [S] ago (edited ago)
For birth certificates, currently the race of the newborn is not collected and, for reporting purposes, is based on the race of the mother, which she is to self-report.
Race and ethnicity data are based on self-reporting. Although the race and ethnicity categories are explicitly defined by OMB, the respondents to Census Bureau questionnaires and the informants for state vital certificates are free to interpret the categories (and use their own mental templates of race and ethnicity) and answer any way they see fit.
https://naphsis-web.sharepoint.com/about/Documents/Race_and_Ethnicity.pdf
Just get your mom to pick something. Seems accurate. /s
I have been searching on how ones race is legally determined in the US. It seems there is no real legal definition.
I did find some info on determining race by birth certificate but it is not accurate and, in some cases, not even recorded.
I found some states let you change your race to anything you want. Like this one from Michigan. It says you need one document that records the correct race, but then explains how it probably isn't recorded. It seems like you could provide them with just about anything. How can they decide? It looks like they can't.
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Q: How do I change the recorded race of the parents named on a birth record?
A: You must provide:
A completed application to change a Michigan birth record.
One document that records the correct race.
The parent's race was recorded from 1906-1967 on Michigan birth records and currently has been eliminated from the printed birth certificate that you would receive. If you choose to have your birth record changed to reflect the race, it can be typed in the amendment area.
[–] TheDude2 [S] ago
More researtch from the US government:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2882688/
tl;dr There is no scientific way to determine race unless you want to do down a dark path.